happyGEEK!

tinyurl... seriously

2009-12-19T23:54:00.000-08:00

Receiving long links in your e-mail? Maybe the links you've been sending to your contacts have gotten cut off or formatted because of their length? I am sure many of you have seen the tinyurl.com domain before. It is usually included in any random link that is sent out in e-mails. the name 'TINY' is not an exaggeration, in fact, the name describes the product perfectly.

Here's what the service does, you go onto this wonderful site and you can turn a URL such as http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/19/survive-workaholic-spouse-entrepreneurs-human-relations-workaholic.html into a cute little thing like http://tinyurl.com/yj7gymg.

I've even included a handy tinyurl input box below for you to sample. You're welcome. ^_^

If you're anything like me, you probably thought that you have to pay for this, subscribe to the service, or give up your first born. Thankfully curiosity got the best of me and I ended up heading over to http://tinyurl.com and found that the kind souls at tinyurl don't charge a penny but would appreciate a monetary assist (via paypal) to help out with maintaining their site and services.

hardcore gamer

2009-08-25T09:48:00.000-07:00

can i claim that? i sure hope so being that, back in the day, i played Wolfenstein 3D in all of its 2fps glory on my old system, 486 dx2. it doesn't seem so hardcore if i leave out the details. well, every 15 minutes of gameplay was followed by a sprint to the restroom for a hurling break. this eventually led to me being so sick i couldn't make it to class for a whole week. don't believe me about the fps? you can check it out for yourself, Wolfenstein 3-D.

that isn't the only thing i got from gaming... i received the N64 Stigma on my palm a couple days before i was to head off to E3. i either got it from zelda or mario... all i remember is having to reel in some fish and needing to spin that center stick as fast as i could. thankfully it wasn't a debilitating injury. :)

how'd i get into E3 you may ask? i had a legitimate, licensed business selling lots of video games. why'd i stop doing that? well, i needed health insurance, job security, and furthering my education seemed like a good idea as well.

guess what? Wolfenstein in all of it's crackishness glory is on its way back with a better fps to boot. will i play it? very, very likely.

realizing that geeks are more than...

2009-07-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

more than RCs, SPs, and IRC. we are people who live outside the world of routers, switches, firewalls, VoIP, and troubleshooting.

we are GAMERS!!!

from chess, checkers, and othello to resident evil, ghost recon, and worms. we are also part of the gaming community and i will be sure to begin touching on that soon.

with the economy as it is and a good chunk of us going onto unemployment... where else can we vent our initial frustrations?

my buddy, KeePass [freeware]

2009-05-09T10:56:00.000-07:00

let's talk about password security. are you like me and are paranoid that someone is going to see a password of yours and run through all your files and destroy you? it's okay if you're not, it may just be me spending too much time in the realm of network security. however, if you do have a billion different passwords for all your documents, applications, accounts, and websites, you will be relieved to know that there are others like you and they've created KeePass which is a free, open source password manager.

this program not only holds and sorts your usernames and passwords, it also encrypts the passwords so that an unauthorized person cannot access the data even when the password file is retrieved. SCORE!

you may be wondering how useful this app can be if it lives on your desktop or laptop. you can have multiple installations of this program and run them off of the same database file (.kdb) AND the creators and contributors of this program must be geniuses because they have a KeePass Portable for your ever so handy USB memory stick.

if you haven't been wowed yet, you should check out the plug-ins and extensions available to KeePass ( http://keepass.info/plugins.html ):

additional encryption

browser integration

scripting utilities

backup options

reporting

imports and conversions

this program is simple enough to run if you are already experienced enough to have a need for it. if not, there is a place where you can go for help:

moi, lazy?

2009-04-13T14:02:00.000-07:00

nah, i'm just busy with church, friends, work, and all the other shtuff.

i don't think i'm as bad as the guy in the video. i'm mostly a retweeter. i'll tweet news stories that some of my subscribers and friends might find interesting. please don't call me a twit. ;p

i believe this video is a friendly reminder that we all should have friends outside of our virtual worlds.

how'd they do this?

2009-04-10T20:13:00.000-07:00

i had to post this because it was just so nifty! really, how'd they impose my name everywhere?

back to digsby (w00t!)

2009-03-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

"i'm back on digsby!" see, i even changed the widget on the right from meebo to digsby. :)

although my toastmasters experiences have taught me not to say, "that's it or that's all," i'm going to inject it anyway because it is so apropos.

this is all i had to say. i needed to share a little bit of my happyGEEK self with everyone out there. :D

you may have noticed that...

2009-03-10T11:38:00.000-07:00

i have a little chat widget to the right on this page. you may have also realized that it's a meebo widget. :/ i know, i know... i remember the high praises i gave for digsby and i still give that product a happy 5+ stars; however, the laptop i am on at work previously belonged to an IT nazi and now i am left without a password for something that blocks some very useful sites, downloads, and installations. ;p

to make a long story short, i'm using meebo as a workaround; for these rare situations, meebo has two thumbs up.

viigo is the winner! [freeware, beta]

2009-02-28T11:20:00.000-08:00

alright, so i didn't hold an official competition of sorts but i did install both viigo and freerange to my blackjack II to see which one i would favor the most and why. i couldn't feel right with judging a product just for its looks.

what i had previously said for the free freerange newsreader, about it not needing more than 10 feeds for my device is a crock of bleh.

i need to know how things are going in the NHL (3 feeds), general local news (3 feeds), national news (4 feeds), international news (3 feeds), health news 4 feeds), technical / health / devices/ scientific (5 feeds)... etc.

as you can see, i well surpass the 10 feed limit that one is allotted with freerange.

both readers can be managed from their web interfaces

viigo: i can't e-mail the news to my contacts; but, i can tweet it to the world.
freerange: 10 feeds, really... just 10 feeds?

final say, go with freerange if you don't need more than 10 feeds and go with viigo if you're a news whoring retweeter like me and don't care about seeing the words "beta" on the client.

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Now playing: 07 - Mike Doughty - I Got the Drop on You
via FoxyTunes

freerange freereader vs viigo... [freeware]

2009-02-03T15:14:00.001-08:00

this is yet another rss reader. i'm sad to admit this but i've found myself breaking up with viigo because of the easy to use pretty features of freerange. sure, the free version allows for 10 feeds but i've found that i do not need any more than that. the feeds can be managed in their online user interface to make life easier for us who do not have the ninja skills necessary to input the rss addresses. the display is gorgeous and the theme, configurable.

just as i did before, i will continue "playing" with the applications i post and will most definitely update when i find better options.

i'll let you compare products on your own.

features:

freerange (public) || viigo (beta)

my reasons for choosing freerange:

updatable feeds via their web site
it is NOT beta, if possible i'd rather keep beta products off of my devices
you can e-mail stories to your contacts
easy to use
it's pretty (i'll post some screenshots later)

this may look totally one sided but i did put in at least a month of viigo use before i mentioned it a couple posts ago.

i happen to be open minded to the sampling of freerange; and, it has turned me into a fan. :)

photobooks online -> print for $2.99 [deal]

2009-01-30T18:15:00.001-08:00

i read about this the other day, thought it was cool, and was too lazy to write anything up on it. why should i? so many people have done that job for me already. i was just thinking, this is darn affordable and that it would be a waste to not spread the word. afterall, facebook users make a good dent when it comes to worldwide internet usage. i'll post those stats another time.

to sign on to this nifty service:

log into your facebook account
click the empty search field on the upper right of you facebook page
enter 'hotprints' into the search and go from there

hotprints will be the first returned result and you can add it to your facebook apps.

for the protective, somewhat paranoid mobile geek [freeware, beta]

2009-01-29T13:38:00.000-08:00

so, you keep your workstations and laptops well protected from cooties and n00b hackers; but, what about your smartphone?

with so many new applications out there and curious end-users like me how are you to keep your devices safe? well, at least for the common freelance geeks we don't have to worry much about endusers. however, we do need to fend for ourselves in this geek pawn geek world that we live in.

that said, i bring to you a beta mobile security suite developed to address the increasing threat of viruses, spyware, malware, bluetooth attacks, etc.... on mobile devices. there's also a nice firewall and intrusion prevention system plus data protection and backup.

flexilis is now on beta release 4 and you can read up on it on their blog or sign up for it either on their blog or main site.

laid off camp SF for my IT peeps! [news]

2009-01-28T18:18:00.000-08:00

i wouldn't do a second post on any given day unless i thought it was something that needed attention.

a laid off camp will be hosted in san francisco. it looks like they are still working out the details but if you're interested in helping with the planning or other volunteer work, just go here and sign up. Or if you don't want to take the time to look through the page just follow the instructions below:

Planners and Volunteers

* Wanna help plan and organize LaidOffCamp? Email planning@laidoffcamp.com
* You can also talk to Chris Hutchins (@hutchins on Twitter / email: chris@chrishutchins.net) and Kevin Buecher (@kevinbuecher on Twitter / email kevin.buecher@gmail.com )

When / Where

* Tuesday: March 3rd @ 10am
* Searching for a venue in San Francisco for 75-150 people (or more)
* RSVP for LaidOffCamp on Facebook, Upcoming and LinkedIn

Session Ideas

* Living on a budget
* Building your personal brand
* Finding a job / work in this market
* How to freelance / be a consultant
* Finding co-founders

You do NOT have to be unemployed to attend!

viigo newsreader [freeware]

2009-01-28T13:14:00.000-08:00

this is a beta news reader, 3.0 being their latest release; however, this product helps make your mobile device even more indispensable. it's a program that gathers the latest news from a LOAD of content providers. best part of it all is that it's free. it better be since it's still in beta.

i added this application on right after i loaded the latest mobile 6.1 onto my blackjack 2 and i haven't had any problems with it yet. the registration is a little tricky if you forget about doing it to begin with. you start off with a guest account and perform the steps below to register.

Guest accounts cannot be used to manage feeds. You must first create a registered account within Viigo before you can manage your feeds from this console. To create an account, launch Viigo and go to: Options > Account > Create New Account

i feel as if i can't be without this application now. it gives me a mobile connection to the global loop without having to run through multiple websites or applications to get to what i need to know. i love it how i can mark a story to be saved and that i can update channels individually. before, i just used my phone for its e-mail, calendar, and phone functions; but, now it's my daily newspaper.

if you couldn't already tell, i highly suggest installing this app on your smartphone. :D

mobile IM apps, oh my [freeware]

2009-01-27T11:38:00.000-08:00

yes, there is an 's' in apps. there are serious options out there beside the basic IM client that came on your smartphone.

i used to use 'palringo' but as of today i found out that there are many similar

[freeware] apps that cover the same stuff. i'm hoping that they do so in a cleaner fashion that what i'm used to. i am going to try out 'fring' next. i had a good time with palringo but i have the feeling that there may be something better out there.

i am not advertising/backing a specific client as of yet but i am open to hearing your take on any of the below programs for your smartphone.

nsa certified smartphone? [news]

2009-01-24T00:20:00.000-08:00

the presidential smartphone is a new concept and before we can soak in that news, we find that there's already a NSA approved presidential phone. a secure smartphone for President Obama has a price of $3,350 with a two-year warranty. ouch! i don't think i'll be able to whine / complain about the prices of my smartphones anytime soon.

fire the bugs [freeware]

2009-01-23T13:58:00.000-08:00

this post is for my newly found firefox plugin, firebug. thanks to my san diego colleague, jason, i have a new toy to assist in killing code related headaches. this is really, really, really useful for ANY web developer out there.

firebug integrates with firefox to put a wealth of web development tools at your fingertips while you browse. you can edit, debug, and monitor CSS, HTML, and JavaScript live in any web page.

scary times

2009-01-22T11:42:00.000-08:00

what's scary for a geek? well, layoffs is one but i believe that is true for most everybody. however, layoffs and bankruptcies of the big boys in the industry is a very frightful thing. i had to message my hubby last week that our daddy, nortel, looks to be out of the game. :/ this is not as pervasive as the bad practices which caused the dot.com bubble to pop back in 2000. this is a bit of bad management, bad choices, and an even nastier economy.

this morning when i pulled up the news i got to see this, "Microsoft slashes up to 5,000 jobs." yes, it's normal to be afraid but don't be afraid and helpless. be prepared and if you are laid-off, work with what ya got. try not to get mad, the anger will just block your vision and way to achieving your goal; anger is generally a waste of time... try to take care of it through a nice, non-addictive video game.

you can definitely stay geek and be unemployed; however, how is one supposed to afford tools to tinker in the trade without monetary backing? you can't really, without the help from corporate or fellow geeks who don't mind sharing or offloading their gear to you.

here are some ideas for the unemployed tech on keeping geek:

if you're like me... you may be living off of some of your the gear that your old company "retired" and although retired, you can still play with the interfaces. get creative and don't let those skills disappear on you.
this may sound a bit wacky to the average tech geek but get together with fellow geeks or if you don't have many of those who you can peaceably hang around with, head off to a cool tech conference in your industry and start making friends. =D
social networking! some of y'all might not have liked parts of #2 above but it shouldn't be painful to join linkedin, facebook, plaxo, myspace, or friendster.
don't disappear - keep friends updated with the use of tweets on twitter. this is cool because it's possible for you to update your twitter profile and have that status go out to plaxo and facebook.
k.i.t. - keeping in touch -- there are so many ways to get a hold of and catch up with others. i prefer to use digsby, a multi protocol IM client that lets you chat with all your friends on AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk, and Jabber with one simple to manage buddy list. on top of that, you can take a look at and update your twitter, linkedin, and facebook status'. digsby is the client to go with for e-mail notifications, social network updates, and instant messaging all in one free client.

kinoma, a handy mobile media product [freeware]

2009-01-21T13:17:00.000-08:00

kinoma freeplay is a freeware program that i've been using on my smartphone (blackjack 2 w/ windows mobile 6.1).

i love the media management and online searches. it is soooo nifty to have youtube in the palm of my hands. notice how i said nifty? it is not a requirement of mine to have youtube at the drop of a hat. besides, all that will kill my device's battery.

almost all the things i'm about to list about kinoma are battery killers; however, if you are like me and have your smartphone at the side of your hip 24/7, then you probably also carry a usb connector to keep your phone charged every chance you get.

either way, this multimedia organizer is a must have for me, especially with the history function that allows the user to go back to a youtube stream they watched earlier in the day.

one common complaint i heard from customers was that their battery life is short. well, that'll happen when you are sitting around playing with all the new nifty features of your device. no sarcasm there, i wooork my smartphone too.

leave it to "the servers that be"

2009-01-19T17:15:00.000-08:00

yep, i'm going back to geek. i just had a nice explanatory conversation with a customer and it resulted in me stating that we have to leave certain things up to "the servers that be." i like that variation over "the powers that be." i thought it was kinda cute and in the above instance, it was true. ^_^

i've always been a geek, i just didn't have a role model to reinforce the fact that geek is chic. it's a bit tough especially since Revenge of the Nerds was out and popular when and where i grew up.

again, this post is to announce my geek intentions for this blog. i'm going geek, again!

i will be touching on things such as games, news, hacks, announcements, and personal tweaks. you will notice my inclination to favor news on smartphones. the motorola good technology experience hasn't found its way out of me, yet.

important note: i am not the geek that is being addressed in this -> post.

**oh yeah, there will be a mention of my sj sharks every now and again.**

my tinkeRy

2009-01-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

don't be jealous. ^_^

yes, this is my ryan who i adore. he loves tinkering with anything and everything. it's no surprise that he became an engineer.
i like the above animation 'cause it looks like he's trying to figure out how to get behind the door. in actuality, he was inspecting it to undergo some fixin'.

NYE in SF 2008 -> 2009

2009-01-01T22:42:00.000-08:00

we had a good time for new year's eve. ry surprised me when i got home asking me to prep up to head out to the city and to keep warm.

this was my first time taking the BART train since the wheelchair bit. it's an amazingly convenient option for those of us who can't drive. heck, even if i could drive, i wouldn't take BART to the area we're going to. parking is scarce and pricey.

it looks like we weren't the only ones who were feelin' like cheering on the professional pyros. thankfully, all those people were behind us and there and nobody blocked our view. well, all that is true but i have to say that the fog and building did get in our way of seeing a spectacular show.

it's all about the experience with the scenery, friends, family, police, and strangers packing the streets. =)

getting around...

2008-12-31T13:13:00.000-08:00

oh, please do not take a negative connotation from that title. this is just a little piece on what and how i can still get around and get things done even with my wheelchair.

first off, the wheelchair needs care so get an available ryan of your own to assist

secondly, you may need an assist out of your home. this ramp is what has been working for me.

oh great, now that you're out of the house where the heck are you going to go? well, fear not. just use your county's paratransit services to take you where you need to go (i.e.: shopping, hospital, work, etc.).

last but not least, handicap people are not all helpless like our general logo makes us out to be; we gotta keep our heads up and think about what we CAN do.

Rum Cake

2008-12-27T10:39:00.000-08:00

doesn't that cake look amazingly scrumptious?

ry made his first rum cake last night and i have to say, i want more and it's only 10:36am. this work may be the onset of many more culinary delights when we get our hand mixer. i can't wait!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2008-12-25T23:51:00.000-08:00

The Christmas setup to the right was just a prelude to something I haven't experienced in a very, very long time. A peaceful family gathering. Well organized with a Santa passing out presents and everyone opening their gifts one by one giving appreciations for their presents.

I had a rough childhood growing up and this Christmas is one of those things I had hoped and wished for. When I say rough, it's not that we were lacking presents to go around or anything. It was the environment and family interactions. I'm pretty sure I got to see the police a couple times and one of them was for a domestic dispute.

Now knowing that something like this is real is sooo amazing to me. I wish my little sisters could have been there to experience this.

this layout with all the pictures is not the most ideal but i wanted to be sure i've documented these wonderful evenings.

to the geek who has everything

2008-12-24T16:21:00.000-08:00

what the heck are you supposed to get for them if they've purchased most of the reasonably priced wants for themselves already? although we are geeks, there are other things that peak our interests... hockey, rodeos, red bull air races, snowboarding, skydiving, beaches, snow, etc... thing is, i can't narrow down to something i know he'll love and will want to keep.

we searched for presents for eachother 'til Christmas eve. then i had to admit defeat because there was nothing i could find that seemed like a suitable present for him. it's not like i don't know him we've been together for almost a decade already. it's just that i like to be practical.

during my last minute present run on Christmas eve I had a nice chat with ry where i checked to see how his search had been going and he admitted to not being able to find a present either. this is when i began discussing how i miss being able to bake and how a hand mixer would be awesome; that prompted him saying how much he'd love to make ice cream again but would need a mixer as well. EUREKA, we found something for the both of us, we'll buy the handmixer that we've both been wanting as a present to eachother, from eachother. :D

the best seats ever...

2008-12-23T12:55:00.000-08:00

with a whole lot of hard work, Ry was able to get me in the most awesome seat in the whole arena for the SJ Sharks vs NY Rangers game. no net to get in the way, no one in front of me to block my view, and friendly, knowledgeable fans next to me. what else can a girl ask for? oh yeah, a win. we got that one. Sharks 3 - Rangers 2. :)

good Lord, is that red popcorn?

2008-12-10T13:24:00.000-08:00

why, yes it is. it's ketchup seasoning on some microwaveable popcorn. i can be a bit daring sometimes.

the popcorn isn't as bad as you might think it is. pretty tasty but i can't have too much of it and the seasoning is really overwhelming on my senses.

now, who the heck would think about creating that seasoning? Canadians of course. they're also the ones who bring me scrumptious dill pickle potato chips. O Canada... my friend says that they serve the seasoning in the Canadian movie theaters to go with their treats. are we, as americans, missing out on something? we can't have that, can we? haha... competitive American mind at work. :)

i wish i had more time to update this blog with everything that has been happening lately; but, i don't have much time left in my lunch and i'd like to use that time to reply to my hubby's letter.

bye-bye for now.

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Now playing: Carrie Underwood - All-American Girl
via FoxyTunes

meet the in-laws' in-laws

2008-11-30T17:43:00.000-08:00

i've now met my in-laws' future in-laws. it was a great thanksgiving. it's the first thanksgiving in a very long time that i had some pancit and lumpia on my dish during a holiday. oh yeah, the add-on in-laws are filipino. not like it really matters but i've been apart from most my family for a while and i'm excited to welcome a new part to my family. possibly a part that may be able to help me learn about my family's home country.

i'm not in it for the filipino food... i can get a whole lot of that from friends at church and restaurants in the city i grew up in, daly city. the local mall was lovingly called serramanilla (serramonte) because of the amount of filipinos in that area.

as you could see from the image on the right, we had LOTS of food. it was more than enough for twelve people and one of us is pregnant. uh, not me. it's my sister in-law in the back left of the photo. we got to pass around the ultrasound pictures and those of us who don't have the best eyesight in the world got to guess body parts. yep it was fun.

i get to be a tita / auntie in five more months. YAY... i'm real excited about that.

Merry belated gobble gobble everyone!

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Now playing: Gin Blossoms - Hey Jealousy
via FoxyTunes

what's wrong with my voice?

2008-11-28T12:55:00.000-08:00

there's nothing really wrong with my voice per se; however, from working in call centers for almost a decade, i've spoken to loads of people and a couple things have stayed consistent.

1) guys asking me out on dates or for contact information.
2) people who call the companies' 800 numbers and thinking that they've reached an erotic hotline of sorts.

i've always been told i had a nice voice but i don't want to have a MA kind of voice. maybe i can take up voice acting to gain better control of these chords.

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Now playing: 03 - MIKE DOUGHTY - Madeline And Nine
via FoxyTunes

fun memories

2008-11-20T17:20:00.000-08:00

i feel like i've been in a pseudo coma for i don't know how long.

i woke up the other morning coming from a dream where an old, old friend was playing the guitar. eleven years ago i lost contact with that friend and because of that dream, i remembered his name. so, i jumped on facebook and found him; hopefully he remembers me, i'd love to send him a thank you.

i also remembered an old nickname, boorivka (burr-if-kah). hehe.... yes, i was called "mole" and it's not 'cause i'm a little rat. i was called that because of the mole on my face. you'd think i would've been called something else since my "anita" has the same amount of syllables.

oh the picture above is of me and my cousins. from left to right there's mary, me, joseph, and sarah. i actually remember that day and what's on my lap. someone had given me a cabbage patch kids tv tray.

i'm patiently going to wait for more memories to randomly come my way. this is fun. ^_^

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Now playing: Tech Itch - Stack (Hive Remix)
via FoxyTunes

mixed blessings

2008-11-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

i've been stuck in a contemplative state for a couple days now.

see i got 2nd degree burns (warning: this pic is UGLY), on my thighs, the other day when preparing some Kraft EasyMac for myself in the office. evil!

kraft easy mac - single servings that includes a portion of macaroni and a mixture of processed cheese and milk powder. Unlike the boxed version, it is designed to be prepared using only water and a microwave in 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Instructions are included on each individual packet. Recently, Kraft released new additional flavors and sizes of Easy Mac, meant for varied appetites (the original version is small enough that a standard serving for an adult consumer was actually two packets).

now, if i had sensation like the rest of the world out there i would've been crying, popping the painkillers, and insisting to leave work to head to the hospital. well i'm not normal. i sat through the rest of my shift with the burning sensation, went to he mall, had dinner with a childhood friend, hung out catching up on old times, and went to sleep. i saw a little bit of the damage when changing to the PJs but it's amazing how it looks the next day, in the daylight when you're actually awake. thankfully i had already had the morning off for hospital appointments; but, after nurses who were treating me for other issues saw the burns they had to check with the doctors to verify that i could receive my treatments.

the first nurse set me up with an appointment to see the minor injury clinic because she was worried about me. i may have flabbergasted the doctor because i wasn't requesting a prescription for the pain. it feels like lil tingles to me for such a big icky wound. the poor doctor kept returning to check, double-check, and triple check my answer to the pain killers.

i feel the pain but i don't belive i'm feeling the full-extent of it.

i've broken a couple wrist bones when i was a child and still went to class to take a test.
i fell, broke a rib and returned to work right after. only going to the doctor because my chest was moving all funny like.
i've broken a leg and still kept on trying to walk. i actually went out to dinner and followed that with some sleep to see if the leg would be better in the morning. nope, it was broken and i got it casted.S

those are just a few incidents where having a good sense of pain can come in very handy.

i don't blame this all on ms. part of it can very well be from how my father raised me to deal with pain. i.e.: as blood is pouring down my leg for a cut i was told to make/use a tourniquet and go on with whatever i was doing, it'll get better. he was a military man trying to raise his eldest daughter as a son. wheee!

is it a blessing to not feel the brunt of these thorns at my side or is it a curse because the pain is a good indicator of when i should seek professional help?

good handicap seats?

2008-11-05T13:24:00.000-08:00

it was ry's birthday yesterday and i guess the ticketing agent wanted to be nice and upgrade his seats for his birthday. not only were they upgraded, they were wheelchair accessible.

i haven't had seats with this great of a viewing angle since i worked for the sf ballet and was given center balcony seats to see othello with my best friend.

note: i didn't zoom in for this picture. this is how the game looked from our seats. :)

oh, here's the game recap:
Sharks Remain Unbeaten at Home, 3-1

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if you're wondering how i'm holding up from the past weekend -- i'm working on getting through it. i believe it takes time and prayer, not memory loss to make it through.

Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays. ~Søren Kierkegaard

how'd my weekend go?

2008-11-03T20:21:00.000-08:00

it had an upside.

i got to see family that i haven't laid eyes on since '94. yep, that's way long ago and it's not like they live in another country. they're in SoCal.

the '08 halloween week summary

2008-10-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

i love going to hockey games and if you haven't noticed, i'm a san jose sharks fan. :)

the picture to the right is from a game against the pittsburgh penguins where we won. :D

i wish i was at the last game against the detroit red wings 'cause we wont that 4-2. :D

why do i enjoy hockey? i like the skill and the fights.

to those of you who say hockey is brutal and unsportsmanlike, just remember, there are penalties in place for fights. for goodness sakes, we even have penalty boxes.

“My friends and I are crazy.
That's the only thing that keeps us sane.” ~ Matt Schucker

citywide blackout at my house due to stormy weather in the sf bay area.

that's an assumption, i really don't know what 'caused it because it was not mentioned in any of the local papers. it was pretty bad though. banks, malls, and el camino lights were all dead or tweaking.

this wouldn't bug me much except i was dropped off at the mall in the hopes of getting some important errands done, i.e.: ring finger sizing and work outfit shopping.

why the rush for this? well, i've been engaged for 4 years and we'd like to get my practice band replaced because we love its original style so much and we both need the bands to get married. i'll leave out the story of what happened to his ring as well as what happened to mine. yes, they're different stories.

today is halloween and i am doing anything but having fun. tomorrow is my cousin's funeral. i love my cousin, he was my male geek counterpart in the family and he will be missed. i wish i had gotten to know him a bit more but just from reading his blog, i know that we were very similar.

we'll be taking an 8 hour drive to southern california to make it to a funeral at 8:30am. yeah, we're not expecting to arrive at the hotel until 1:30am at the earliest.

my hope is to console the family and hoping that their experience with me and the cancer i had might help. i don't know how it can help but i'm praying that it will.

this is halloween, this is halloween...

2008-10-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

This is an early candy tribute because we will be unable to take on the candy passer outer duties next week due to outside circumstances that we need to attend to.

geek and geek?

2008-10-18T13:45:00.000-07:00

this pic is of me and my hubby at my exes' wedding reception.think i can replace the vow of man and wife with Geek and Geek?

is this what i've been reduced to? i kid, i kid. :)

2008-06-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

Who am I?

> Just like everyone else out there I've got a cornucopia of experiences that make me an individual.

What makes me happy?

> LOTS of things, thank God.

What's my occupation?

> I've been in the IT field for quite some time (8 years) although not as long as my hubby. Darn the dot.com layoffs. I've loved tech since I was a little kid playing with Dad's engineering tools and testing equipment. I'm not going to be leaving the tech world anytime soon. Having the IT exec husband kind of secures me in that respect. I just need to figure out where I really want to go with all this experience.

What are my plans for the future?

> Walking, dancing, horsebackriding, skating (ice & roller), boarding (snow & boogie/water), getting wed in church, buying a shot at a home, batting cages, walking my dog, and starting a family.

What am I doing right now?

> Lots of rehabilitation to get my body restored close to what it once was. Lots of praising and thanking God for giving me such an awesome mate, pulling me through this mess I've fallen into, and for making me strong enough to be able to make it through.

Where do I live?

> I live in the burbs but I spend lots of time within inner city SF. We initially moved to this side of the bay thinking it would be safer than our old spot and it is; however, that doesn't totally get applied to our old and current stomping grounds.